Chickens and ducks

[cotton54321]

Just a silly question
Can chickens and ducks be kept in relative close proximity and share ranging space?
Currently we have 6 chickens in a 20ft by 20ft area but I'd really like ducks too!
Anyone have any experience?
Thanks in advance,
Mel

[motherhen]

Personally I don't think ducks and chicken mix, not because they don't get on but their habits are so completely different. Ducks love mud and wet and their feed can get extremely messy, their droppings are wet by nature, they usually lay where they stop and even if they lay in a house do not really lay in a particular part unless they are nesting. Chicken are not good slopping around in mud and perch at night, if kept with ducks will end up eating dirty food and drinking dirty water. I have done it in a totally free range scenario, but the ducks had a pond which they spent most of the time in, on or around and the hens, had their own space and kept themselves to themselves.

[OverWyreGrower]

We have both in a large run, and they get on fine. We have several drinkers, though, that only the chickens can drink from, making sure the ducks don't mess everything up.

The chickens and ducks share a house, with the ducks sleeping on the bottom, and the hens perching at the top of the house.

We've also got raised bits, like pallets, field shelters etc, that the ducks cannot get to, so these are used by the chickens to make their own space

[RichmondHens]

I agree with Motherhen on this. Unless you can provide an enclosure large enough so the ducks can have their own muddy patch well away from the chickens they are best kept separately. They should also ideally not be fed the same food - chicken pellet is too rich for ducks and can cause them problems.

[winstonwobble]

i have chickens and duck but they live in seperate houses and both free range during the day diddnt know that duck cant have layers pellets though what do you feed them RH?

[walldanzig]

Mine get on fine they do get a bit of a telling off from the Cockeral every now and again but other than that no issues

[Hilary B]

It can work, but I doubt it can be done in that sort of space. The hens would need an area where any dampness from the ducks could drain away effectively (anfd I think that would mean gravel, and still need thorough cleaning at least once a week), and you would have to do something really clever about feeding arrangements to prevent ducks making hens food dirty (among other difficulties).
The actual house would be the easy bit, put in an 'upstairs' for the hens and a 'downstairs' for ducks.

[cotton54321]

Thanks guys...maybe I should leave it for now. Great to hear of your experiences tho. Definitely food for thought!

Mel

[RichmondHens]

i have chickens and duck but they live in seperate houses and both free range during the day diddnt know that duck cant have layers pellets though what do you feed them RH?

I don't keep ducks but have heard/read differing opinions on this subject. I think in the main it's ok, although you have to watch the protein levels in pellet feed as ducks can get deformities if the protein level is too high. Also the added medication in some chick crumb and grower pellet can be toxic to ducks.

[OverWyreGrower]

We've always fed layers to the ducks, but as RH says, don't feed the young ducks the same as young hens...

We have large open trough feeders for the birds, and the ducks don't actually make any more mess than the hens with feed.... water is a different matter though!

[petal]

I have always fed layers to adult ducks, youngstock must not have the medicated food though. I think you need more land to keep ducks though, they love freeranging and most of their food consists of bugs. They get on fine with the chickens and the turkey.